UPS Misses Deadline, Leaves Christmas Presents Undelivered

UPS ran into some trouble while delivering Christmas presents this year. And unfortunately, the company didn't have a red-nosed reindeer on hand to bail them out.

Thousands of UPS packages across America were left undelivered by Christmas morning after the company was swamped with an unusually high volume of holiday orders. (Via KGO)

In an official statement, UPS said the company was "making every effort to get packages to their destination; however, the volume of air packages in our system exceeded the capacity of our network."

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The company also blames icy weather in the southern U.S. for delaying some air shipments of packages and creating a severe backlog. (Via CBS)

Come Dec. 24, UPS was scrambling to deliver packages on time. Some branches even resorted to using rental trucks and golf carts. (Via WFAA)

But the effort wasn't enough, and a small percentage of packages are still languishing at delivery centers across the country. Needless to say, the intended recipients of those packages are not pleased.

The Huffington Post highlights some of the more explosive Twitter and Facebook outbursts of UPS-related holiday rage. False guarantees and pricey delivery charges were common complaints.

And a Forbes writer notes this whole incident is pretty embarrassing for a company that touts its logistical prowess.

"Isn't getting this right on arguably the most important deadline of the year pretty much the essence of logistics?"

Despite the backlash, a company rep told CNN the company would not be making their drivers run deliveries on Christmas Day. "They've pulled in extra hours. We did a lot of Sunday deliveries, which we normally don't do. It wasn't a decision that we came to lightly."

Online retailers like Amazon have offered to take the sting out of this slip-up by offering refunds and gift cards to jilted customers. In the meantime, just tell the kids the presents fell off the back of Santa's sleigh by accident.